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white grub
noun
: a grub that is a destructive pest of grass roots and is the larva of various beetles and especially june bugs
Examples of white grub in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Many other turf-destroying grubs, such as Japanese beetles and chafers, also are large white grubs.
—Arricca Elin Sansone, Southern Living, 15 Aug. 2024
Beneficial nematodes can be applied to a lawn where white grubs feed, which will infect them with deadly parasites.
—Miri Talabac, Baltimore Sun, 2 May 2024
There is no one fix-all/kill-all application for adult beetles and their larvae/white grub offspring.
—Betty Cahill, The Know, 23 June 2020
Keeping lawns on the drier side during peak egg-laying months (July-August) will reduce eggs from growing to the next larvae/white grub stage.
—Betty Cahill, The Know, 23 June 2020
There are insecticides labeled for control of white grubs in turf.
—Neil Sperry, ExpressNews.com, 26 Dec. 2019
The browning grass looks like damage of white grub worms.
—Neil Sperry, ExpressNews.com, 26 Sep. 2019
Females lay batches of up to 75 eggs in balls of soil below ground, which eventually turn into large white grubs.
—Sarah Brookbank, Cincinnati.com, 17 July 2019
The best management tools are based on knowing this insect’s life cycle — both the adult and their larva (white grub) stages cause plant damage.
—Betty Cahill, The Denver Post, 24 June 2019
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'white grub.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1740, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near white grub
Cite this Entry
“White grub.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/white%20grub. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.
More from Merriam-Webster on white grub
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about white grub
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